The government is planning to recruit new agencies for issuing machine-readable passport (MRP) for nearly 30 lakh expatriates following the poor performance of the Malaysian outsourcing company designated for the job.

Expatriates Welfare and Overseas Employment Minister Mosharraf Hossain disclosed it to the reporters following a meeting with the official of home and foreign ministry at the Probashi Kalyan Bhaban this morning.

The minister came up with the remark when the expatriates are anxiously waiting for news about getting the MRP as they could lose their jobs abroad and be sent home after November 24.

The International Civil Aviation Authority (ICAO) deadline to end the use of old hand-written passports is on November 24, 2015.

After that, expatriates, mostly migrant workers, could be in a serious jam, lose their jobs and be deported if new MRPs are not renewed.

Earlier on March 19, the officials of Malaysian outsourcing company, IRIS Corporation Berhad, promised to improve its performance within a week with daily enrolment of 9,000 expatriates in Saudi Arabia, and 5,000 in the UAE and Malaysia, and get the job done by September.

More than two weeks have gone by but the company's enrolment pace remains the same, sluggish, according to officials in the Bangladesh missions.